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Biggest and best in epilepsy care

Children’s Minnesota treats more kids with epilepsy than any other hospital in the Upper Midwest. In fact, 65 percent of Twin Cities families choose us for their children’s seizure care. And our stellar reputation draws epilepsy patients from across the nation.

What does it take to earn that kind of trust? Maybe it’s the state-of-the-art neuroscience center or treatments and technologies you’ll only find in a handful of hospitals. But we truly believe it’s our caring, kid- and family-centered approach that makes all the difference.

Epilepsy 101

Seizures happen when abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes momentary changes in awareness, movement, speech, vision and behavior. Seizures can be partial (affecting only part of the brain and body) or generalized (involving the entire brain surface and body).

Epilepsy is a condition in which a person has repeated seizures. In the United States, more than 300,000 kids under age 15 have epilepsy. About 90,000 of them experience seizures that are difficult to control.

In most cases, epilepsy occurs all on its own, but sometimes it pops up due to an underlying medical or neurological conditions like a brain tumor or genetic disorder. At Children’s, we’ve established special programs for kids with two common seizure-related disorders:

Tuberous sclerosis complex — A genetic disorder that causes tumors to form in many different organs, primarily in the brain, heart, eye, skin, kidneys and lungs

Chromosome 15 abnormalities — A change in certain genes that has been linked to epilepsy and intellectual disabilities

Advantages that give us an edge

Children’s pediatric epilepsy program offers medications, treatments and techniques you won’t find just anywhere. Here are just a few of the reasons parents across the country choose us:

One of the largest pediatric epilepsy center in the United States, with 550+ patients treated each year

Nationally recognized as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center by The National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) and provides the highest-level of diagnosis and treatment options for children with epilepsy

Only pediatric hospital in the Midwest using Visualase, a precise, MRI-guided laser system for brain tumor and epilepsy surgeries. This high-tech approach minimizes pain and speeds healing. Most kids are home within 24 hours. (Read a story about a little boy with epilepsy who underwent surgery with Visualase.)

Only program in the region (and one of only 12 in the country) performing advanced brain mapping using magnetoencephalography and high-resolution MRI technology